Learning To Dance: A Hiccstrid Proposal
by BardofBerk
Summary: A post HTTYD 2 short: Hiccup's proposal to Astrid. Some good ol' Hiccstrid. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Learning to dance: a Hiccstrid proposal

It was dark and silent in the Haddock household. Toothless' quiet breathing was the only thing that soothed the new chief as he laid restlessly, making futile attempts to sleep. Hiccup rolled over several times, his bed loudly creaking underneath his slim and athletic frame. He could not get his mind to quiet itself, no matter how much he willed it to. So many memories from the past few years flashed beneath his eyelids…his meeting with Toothless, triumphantly defeating the Red Death, welcoming dragons to Berk, discovering his mother, losing his father, very nearly losing Toothless to Drago and the Alpha…and him and Toothless together becoming leaders of men and dragons.

His throat became tight and the tears threatened to spill over as he pushed himself into a sitting position and swung both his legs over the side of the bed. A sob quietly escaped his throat as he tugged on his prosthetic. The loss of his father still stung, as it would for a good long while…moving on without Stoick had been one of the hardest things Hiccup had to do. Being chief was overwhelming within itself, and doing it without the guidance of his father was lonely and difficult. He was ever grateful for the presence of his mother, Toothless the Alpha of Alphas (as he jokingly liked to be called) Astrid, and his friends, but there remained an emptiness in his life that could only be filled by Stoick the Vast.

His thoughts turned to a certain Astrid Hofferson. He chuckled at the idea that only a few years ago, his persona would dissolve into that of a blubbering fool every time she visited the forge or even looked his way. A surge of warmth came to him with the realization that she brought so much to his life: a best friend, protector, second in command, and the lady of whom he saw himself growing old and gray with as the years passed. But the realization that his father wouldn't get to see him take a wife whom he loved dearly was hard for Hiccup to swallow.

If there was ever a time to propose, it was now. Spring would soon turn into summer, and with that the harvest, which would be perfect for the wedding feast. All the preparations had been made (by Stoick himself, he reminded himself with a small smile), Astrid's dowry had been settled and Hiccup had even asked her parents for her hand a few weeks before the racing season had begun. His father had roared with merry laughter as Hiccup had finally asked for the Chief's permission to bless the marriage and accompany him to the Hofferson household one afternoon when he knew Astrid had taken Stormfly on a time trial. He nearly had barfed out of nervousness, but had managed to attain her parent's wholehearted approval while retaining his dignity.

Now all that was needed was for the bride in question to agree to the union…

Despite knowing how much Astrid loved him, the thought of proposing had his stomach feeling like a hundred angry fireworms had taken up residence there.

"Get a grip Hiccup…" he muttered aloud to himself". " It's just Astrid, the girl you've only adored for years, and you only want to ask if she'll spend the rest of her life with you. No big deal, no big deal at all…Dad would…"

What would Stoick do? He wasn't sure…he had always skirted around the topic with his father, wanting to put off coming of age as long as possible, even when Stoick began to discuss his retirement with Hiccup at suppertimes over mutton. With chiefdom brought the expectation of a wife, family, children, and such _power_... the thought of which had Hiccup jumping on Toothless and running in the other direction. There was no more time for running away.

"Hiccup?" A voice came from the staircase, and thumps continued as the figure ascended the wooden stairs of the chief's home. Valka's tall figure stood quietly at the top of the staircase.

"Hi Mom…" Hiccup quickly wiped away the tears that settled on his face. "You couldn't sleep either?"

She approached him cautiously and sat down beside him. "Just can't get my mind to shut off I suppose."

"Same." He managed a small grin, then tapped the side of his temple. "Great minds think alike, right?" His smile faded.

"Are you all right, son? I noticed you've been awfully quiet these past few days, and you obviously aren't sleeping well..."

"Mom…" Hiccup began. "I want to ask Astrid to marry me. I want it to be special, but I'm not the best at this kind of thing. Could you…teach me to dance?"

Valka smiled and put an arm around her son. "I think that can easily be arranged, my dear one."

"Even for a Hiccup with no left feet?" he joked.

"Even so. Perhaps some dancing will help us sleep! No better time to start!" She stood up and offered a hand, which Hiccup took. "Now son, place your arm up against mine like this. A tad higher…yes, very good. Move your right foot here…no slouching, Hiccup…you are Chief after all! That's better!"

Hiccup woke early. He had arranged to meet up with Astrid later that afternoon at Itchy Armpit, under the ruse that they were going to do some mapping past the Shivering Shores for the evening. It seemed that he had arrived before her, but as he prepared to sit down and wait, Astrid shot out from her hiding place behind a large tree, grabbed him around the waist and knocked him to the ground. Before he could even stammer out a "Good Morning" she pressed her lips to his, and he kissed her back wholeheartedly. But before Hiccup could stop her she reached down and pushed the release for his tailfin and it popped out…yet again.

"Shark Attack!" she squealed gleefully.

Hiccup chuckled in spite of himself. She could be such a child sometimes. But his laughter soon dissolved in another wave of jitters for the task he was about to do.

"Good morning milady…Astrid…Astrid. Hi. Erm hi Astrid, hi Astrid hi Astrid…" stammered Hiccup.

"Hiccup…you haven't acted like this in years." She noted as she pulled him to his feet by his hand, chuckling and punching him in the shoulder with a mischievous grin on her face. "What's going on?"

Hiccup nervously gulped and quietly began to sing. He had a soft spoken singing voice that faltered slightly out of nervousness (and truthfully he had only sung several times in his life), but it was very pleasant to listen to. Astrid, amazed at the fact that Hiccup was _actually singing_, sat on a log to listen.

_I fly and flail on wailing winds,_

_With ne'er a fear of falling,_

_I'd gladly ride the winds of life…_

Hiccup's voice cracked embarrassingly high. Oh Gods. Not now, he thought…get a grip! He quickly recomposed himself.

…_If you would marry me._

Astrid's face softened as Hiccup continued. His voice grew louder and more confident.

_Now scorching sun, nor freezing cold,_

_Can stop us on our journey,_

_But I will promise you my heart,_

_To love you for eternity._

Astrid was quiet for a second, and then arose from her perch and sweetly begin to sing. Hiccup was surprised at how different her singing voice was; as soft and comforting as the breath of wind on a cheek. He was enthralled by her. Hiccup was so distracted by how beautiful she sang and poised herself that he almost tripped on his prosthetic as she approached. She joined Hiccup's outstretched arm they began a formal dance of old, similar to that his mother and father had once danced together. Hiccup wondered where she herself had learned it from.

_My dearest one, my darling dear,_

_Your mighty words astound me,_

_What I'd give to see you as,_

_My chief that stands beside me._

_Now I'd accept your rings of gold,_

_You aren't so good at poetry,_

_But you shielded me from every harm,_

_I wish you'd fly beside me._

Hiccup's nervousness instantly vanished, and he wondered why he had been so nervous in the first place. He decided to forego the formal dance he was attempting (he kept tripping over his left leg and it was ruining the moment for him) and merrily grabbed her hands and swung her around like they were young children again.

_To love and kiss, to sweetly hold,_

_For the dancing and the dreaming,_

_Through all life's sorrows and delights_

_I'll keep your love beside me_

_I'll fly and sail on wailing winds_

_With ne'er a fear of falling_

_And gladly ride the winds of life_

_If you will marry me! _

Hiccup and Astrid burst into laughter, and fell to the ground in a breathless heap, exhausted and dizzy from dancing and spinning so quickly. Toothless and Stormfly bounded over to see what the fuss was, and Toothless met Hiccup's gaze with a gummy smile and a wink. They went galloped away to complete their tiebreaker for their tug of war game with a rather large log.

Hiccup was the first to stand, and with an extra hand helped Astrid from the ground. With a deep breath, he knelt on one knee in front of her, and gently took her hand in his. Her eyes softened and her smile widened.

"Milady... My Astrid, would you do me the honor…of being my wife?

Astrid's face lit up, but then her soft glow contorted into an ornery face as she replied, "Maybe. It kind of depends on one thing."

"Anything." he said, flashing her a goofy yet adorable grin.

"I think I need a little more of all…_this." _Astrid suggestively winked and beamed. Hiccup grinned and blushed. "You just gestured to all of me…"

With that he reminisced in the memory of his father, and how proud Stoick would be at this moment of the engagement and the happy times ahead. As Hiccup embraced Astrid, she punched him in the gut and took off running towards Stormfly.

"Bet you can't beat me in a race back to Berk! Better hurry up, Chief!" she yelled over her shoulder between giggles.

He reeled, fully expecting a long, lingering kiss from his soon to be wife, but then threw back his head, doubled over in laughter, and sped off to catch up to her.

As he raced to get back to Toothless, he called after her, "You better watch your back, milady! This is a race I won't lose!"


	2. Chapter 2

Learning to Dance: A Hiccstrid Proposal

Chapter 2: An Axe to Find

The flight back to Berk was a delight. Hiccup relished the quiet time aboard Toothless in the sky, the silence occasionally interrupted with the joyous laughter of his new fiancée. She flew ahead of him, cutting through the clouds, performing feats of aerial acrobatics on Stormfly out of sheer joy.

Astrid arrived first to Berk, several minutes before Hiccup and Toothless. Although he wouldn't have mentioned it at the time, Hiccup allowed her victory. Even as his leg clinked on the rocks following his dismount as he landed on solid Berk ground, he still felt as if he remained in the clouds.

Upon landing, he made the announcement for the village to begin preparations, as the wedding was to take place in three days' time.

The village converged upon the happy couple, bestowing well wishes to the young chief and his soon to be bride. Hiccup lost count after about 50 slaps and punches to his shoulder and chest from large Vikings giving their well wishes in the best way they knew how…with a good ol' punch.

Astrid was soon whisked away. Hiccup suspected that Heather, visiting Berk on a quick resupply visit after a meeting with the Bog Burglers, had grabbed her as soon as she had landed to get the down low on the proposal.

"About time, lad!" shouted Gobber, his eyes alight.

"Thought our beards would go gray just waiting for you to make things official, ol' boy'yo!" added Spitelout.

Fishlegs pushed through the crowd to Hiccup, his normally content visage fraught with a worry. Hiccup had appointed Fishlegs to oversee most of the wedding preparations, knowing that his friend really enjoyed doing those types of activities and would do a splendid job.

"Hiccup…" he started to say as he pulled Hiccup aside, "Do you happen to know where the Haddock family axe is?"

"Of course," answered Hiccup confidently, but wondered why Fishlegs would ask such a random question. Hiccup was relatively familiar with their village's wedding practices and already knew he'd need an axe for the wedding ceremony. "My dad had plenty of family axes."

"No…I mean THE axe." Fishlegs began to rant as Fishlegs always did when he knew way too much about a subject and had to get it off of his chest. "The axe that you'll have delivered to the island of Frigga, chop down your ceremonial birch with, make your marriage with Astrid official…"

"And the axe that the Chief couldn't wait to ask the superior warrior, SNOTLOUT, to be the one to deliver it for him," jeered Snotlout, elbowing Hiccup in the ribs.

"Snot…knowing your track record on that particular subject I think I'll pass on that offer," Hiccup joked back to his cousin.

"Your point is?" Hiccup prodded Fishlegs further.

"You can't use just any axe." Fishlegs explained, "It has to have a significant meaning to your family… the axe your parents used during their wedding. I doubt it was an everyday battle axe that Stoick used."

Hiccup's right hand flew to his forehead, making a loud smack.

"Frigga. Dad never talked about that axe…probably figured I'd never have to use it." Hiccup chuckled to himself, then continued. "I have no idea where it is…"

"Well, you'd better hurry up and figure it out, Chief" cut in Eret, having just returned with the Thorston twins in tow behind him. "Your bride is rather good with an axe…would hate to see her use it on you."

"I wouldn't." reasoned Tuffnut with a grin. Ruffnut chuckled rather loudly in response.

Hiccup looked up the hill, towards his house and the Great Hall, then waved for Toothless to accompany him. "If you'll all excuse me…I'm on a rather tight time schedule and need to go speak with my mother. A quest may be in order!"


End file.
